Excavating-machine.



G. HOLMES. l BXGAVATING MACHINE. APPL'IGATION FILED IEB.11, 1909.

Patented Feb.'1,191o.

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G. HOLMES.

BXGAVATIN'G MACHINE. AHLIGATIONEILBD P31141, 1909.

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GRANT HOLMES, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO ROBERT HOLMES 8cBROTHERS, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

EXCAVATI'NG-MACHINE.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRANT HOLMES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ExcavatingMachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to excavating machines, and more particularly tothat type of excavating machines in which the excavating mechanismproper consists of an excavating dipper carried by a boom.

The object of the invention is to provide an excavating machine in whichthe boom will be of comparatively short length, which will have amaximum range of operation and which will deposit the material which hasbeen excavated at a suitable distance from the point where theexcavation is made.

To this end it is a further object of the invention to provide anexcavating machine with a plurality of excavating mechanisms; to provideconveying mechanism for conveying the material to the proper point ofdeposit; to provide separate means to receive the material from eachlexcavating mechan ism and deliver the same to the conveyer; andfurther, to so arrange the several parts of the machinev that theexcavating mechanisms may be operated either simultaneously orindividually, the operation of the one interfering in no wise with theoperation of the other.

With these objects in view my invention consists in certain novelfeatures and in certain combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter to be described, and then more particularly pointed out inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of anexcavating machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe same; and Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention andhave shown the same as applied to a dredge of ordinary constructioncomprising a body portion or hull 1, upon which the excavatingmechanismsare mounted. These excavating mechanisms may be of any suitablecharacter and the number and arrangement of the same may be determinedby the char- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1909.

Patented Feb. 1l, 1910.

serial No. 477,289.

acter of the worlr to be done. In the present instance I have shown twoof these mechan isms arranged near the opposite sides of the bodyportion or hull l, and near the forward end thereof, and I have showneach excavating mechanism as com rising the usual excavating clipper 2and hoisting boom 3, the outer end of which boom is connected by a cable4L to a frame 5. This frame is of the usual construction with theexception `that it is made wider at the upper end and the cables areconnected thereto at the outer corners thereof. The operation of theseexcavating mechanisms is the same as in dredges or steam shovels where asingle excavating mechanism is employed. The 0p-` eration of eachexcavating mechanism 1s independent of the operation of the otherexcavating mechanism and the length of the boom of each mechanism issuch that the dipper will extend in its operative position to a pointmidway between the two mechanisms or beyond such a point. Thus, the twodippers will excavate all the material lying within the path of the bodyportion or hull 1, and, inasmuch as each is located near the side of thebody portion, they will excavate an amount on each side of the hullsubstantially equal to half the width of the hull. This arrangementgives the excavating machine a very wide range and at the same time,enables a comparatively short boom to be employed, thus greatlyexpediting the operation of the excavating mechanism and also lesseningthe power necessary to operate the same, owing to the shorter distancethrough which the dipper must move and the smaller weight of theexcavating` mechanism. It will be obvious, however, that the booms arenot of sufficient lengthto enable the material excavated to be dumped atthe proper distance from the point of excavation. Consequently, othermeans are provided for conveying the material to the desired point ofdeposit. This conveyer mechanism may be ofany suitable character and itsarrangement and the length of the conveyers will depend largely upon thecharacter of the work being done, but in the present instance, I haveshown the same as comprising two endless conveyer belts 6 mounted in asuitable frame 7 These conveyers are preferably supported from the bodyportion l and their inner ends are located near the transverse center ofthe hull and slightly beneath the upper deck thereof, as shown in Fig.1, while the outer ends of the conveyer extend a considerable distancebeyond the sides of the body portion 1. The outer portions of theconveyers 6 are supported by one or more cables 8 extending therefrom tothe tower 9 and serving to adjustably support the conveyer.

As the conveyer belts are comparatively narrow in width it isimpractical to deposit the entire contents of the excavating dipper uponthe belt at one time. Consequently, suitable means are interposedbetween the dipper and the conveyer mechanism to receive the materialfrom the dipper and deliver the same to the conveyer mechanism, therebeing preferably one of these receiving mechanisms for each of theexcavating mechanisms. In the present instance, I have shown thereceiving mechanisms arranged between the excavating mechanisms and eachcomprising a pan 10 having a wide, flat rear end, as shown in Fig. 3 andhaving its side walls converging from a point removed from the rear endof the pan toward the front end thereof, thus providing a narrowdischarge mouth which is arranged above one of the conveyers 6 of theconveyer mechanism. The forward end of the receiving pan 10 is rigidlysecured to a transverse bar or axle 11 which is pivotally mounted on thesupporting frame 12. Suitable means are provided for moving thereceiving pan 10 about its -pivotal center, thus causing the material,which has been deposited thereon by the dipper 2, to be delivered to theconveyer. This may be accomplished in any desired manner, but I havehere shown the receiving pans 10 as mounted in a suitable frame 13comprising the upright members 14 arranged at each side and in thecenter thereof and a transverse member 15 connecting the upper ends ofthe upright members. Guides or pulleys 16 are carried by the upper endsof this frame and cables 17 are secured to each receiving pan near therear or receiving end thereof and extend upwardly about the respectivepulleys 16, thence downwardly Where they are connected to a powercylinder 18, the operation of which serves to move the receiving pan, towhich that particular cylinder is connected, into an inclined position.Each of the pans 10 is independent of the other and each is providedwith a separate operating cylinder. The construction and operation ofthe receiving pan and its operating mechanism are fully shown anddescribed in the application for patent filed by me Dec. 26, 1908, Ser.No. 469,438. Consequently, I have not shown or described the detailedconstruction of the same.

The operation of the device is simple and it Will be understood thatwhen each dipper,

after having been filled with material to be excavated, is moved into aposition above one of the receiving pans 10, the material is dischargedupon that pan and the dipper immediately removed from above the same. Assoon as the dipper has been removed the pan 10 is moved into itsinclined position and the material thereon is delivered from the smallor discharge end thereof upon the conveyer belt which deposits the sameat the desired point. Obviously, either dipper can be workedindependently of the other, and, inasmuch as the booms carrying thedippers are comparatively short, the power necessary to operate the sameis considerably less than that required to operate the boom and dippelwhere the boom is of a much greater length; and, further, owing to theshort distance through which each dipper must move from the point whereit is filled to its point of discharge, the speed with which the dippermay be operated is materially increased, and, consequently, the capacityof each excavating mechanism is very much greater than that of anexcavating mechanism having a long boom, and, by combining two or moreof these excavating mechanisms in a single excavating machine, theamount of work which that machine is capable of performing is increasedto a corresponding extent.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to thedetails of construction shown and described, for obvious modificationswill occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a plurality ofexcavating mechanisms carried by said body portion, conveyer mechanism,receiving pans supported normally in substantially horizontal positionsto receive the material from said excavating mechanisms, and means formov` ing said receiving pans into inclined positions to discharge thematerial therefrom.

2. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a plurality ofindependent excavating mechanisms carried b v said body portion,conveyer mechanism, an independent receiving pan for each of saidexcavating mechanisms supported normally in a substantially horizontalposition to receive. the material, and means for moving said rcceivingpan into an inclined position to deliver the material to said conveyermechanism.

3. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a plurality ofexcavating mechanisms carried by said body portion, conveyer mechanism,normally horizontal receiving pans pivotally supported on said bodyportion in a position to receive the material from said excavatingmechanisms, and

means for moving said receiving pans about their pivotal centers todischarge the material onto said conveyer mechanism.

t. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a plurality of boomsmovably mounted on said body portion, a dipper carried by each of saidbooms, a plurality of conveyers, each having one end supported near saidbody portion and thel other end supported at a point removed therefrom,and a plurality of receiving pans arranged between said booms andadapted to receive the material from said dipper and to discharge thesame upon said conveyers.

5. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a plurality ofexcavating mechanisms carried by said body portion, a plurality ofconveyers each having one end supported near said body portion andhaving the other end supported at a point removed from said bodyportion, a corresponding plurality of receiving pans pivotally mountedon said bodyV ortion and arranged normally in a substantially horizontalposition to receive the material from said excavating mechanisms, andmeans for moving said receiving pans about their pivotal centers todischarge the material therefrom onto said conveyer mechanism.

6. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a plurality of boomsmovably mounted near the front of said body portion and arranged onopposite sides of the center thereof, an excavating dipper carried byeach of said booms, a conveyer' arranged in the rear of each of saidbooms and having one end supported near said body portion and the otherend supported at a point removed therefrom, receiving pans pivotallymounted on said body portion between said booms and arranged normally insubstantially horizontal positions to receive the material from therespective excavating dippers, and means for moving said receiving pansabout their pivotal centers to discharge the material therefrom ontosaid conveyer mechanism.

7. An excavating machine comprising a body portion, a boom mountedthereon, an excavating dipper carried by said boom, a conveyer havingone end supported near said body portion and the other end supported ata point removed from said body portion, a receiving pan pivotallymounted on said body portion and arranged normally in a substantiallyhorizontal position to receive the material from said dipper, and meansfor moving said receiving pan about its pivotal center to discharge thematerial therefrom onto said conveyer.

S. In an excavating machine, the combination, With a boom, a dippercarried thereby, and a conveyer mechanism having one end supported nearsaid boom and the other end supported at a point removed therefrom, of areceiving pan pivotally supported near said boom and arranged normallyin a substantially horizontal position to receive the material from saiddipper, and means for moving said receiving pan about its pivotal centerto discharge the material therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GRANT HOLMES.

Witnesses FRANK LINDLEY, GERTRUDE C. KOCH.

